Guts and Glory | REVIEW

Guts and Glory is a wacky, gory and utterly stupid physics-based title that sees you working through a series of obstacle course-based levels in as quick a time as possible. These levels start off easy to begin with but the more you play the more elaborate they become, with all sorts of zany hazards coming your way. These hazards don’t exactly hold back either – it’s not called GUTS and glory for nothing.

After proving popular with YouTubers and gamers alike in its Early Access form, it has now officially launched on PC and consoles. I got to try the game out on the Nintendo Switch, and whilst there is no denying that it can actually be a lot of fun to play, unfortunately it also just so happens to be a bit broken.

The game features a varied cast, each of which feel unique to play as thanks to the different vehicles they have. You can expect to ride on the likes of a bike, a quad, a motorbike, a car… sure, these might seem like normal vehicles, but when you consider how over the top the game is (and how vulnerable characters are to all of the game’s threats) they somehow feel a lot more comical. You’ll unlock more vehicles as you progress too, some of which are a bit sillier than others…

Whatever choice you make, you can guarantee it’s going to feel different to each other vehicle and control in its own unique way, so there’s a surprising amount of depth there for a game that’s essentially based around a malfunctioning physics system. Certain levels require you to use specific vehicle types too, so you can expect to try them all out as you play through Guts and Glory’s many levels.

One thing Guts and Glory deserves credit for is just how over the top it is. Sure, it’s ugly to look at and the gameplay mechanics themselves aren’t exactly refined, but you’ll be kept entertained by the sheer insanity and absurdity on show. Fumbling your way across levels in a bunch of silly vehicles is a lot more enjoyable than it sounds, whilst the fact your characters will end up decapitated or in pieces just makes each failure all the more hilarious. Yes, you might have to be a bit childish to appreciate it, but I am so… yeah. It’s good.

Much like titles like Goat Simulator, Guts and Glory’s physics also just so happen to be a little broken. Again though, like Goat Simulator, it’s in an entertaining way that makes for a fun experience… sometimes. See, whilst Guts and Glory’s gameplay is undoubtedly entertaining, the Nintendo Switch version of the game just so happens to be a bit shoddy.

There are simply too many issues with the Switch port of the game to be able to properly recommend picking it up on the platform. I mean, sure, it’s supposed to be a bit broken anyway, but in this case it’s in all of the wrong ways. For one, the loading times are ridiculous. When you retry a level you don’t get to immediately jump in, but instead have to wait through a loading screen that I’ve seen last close to twenty seconds at times. The game itself is meant to be quick-paced and fun, but this just completely breaks up the action.

The frame rate can also be all over the place, especially on the busier levels. Whilst seeing the game stutter at a slow speed is frustrating in itself though, there’s a demand for precision in Guts and Glory – having the frame rate randomly slow down caused more than a few botched attempts on levels through no real fault of the player’s own.

There’s also a sketchy camera and some random hiccups (including full game crashes), so it’s clear that Guts and Glory needs a bit of work on the Switch. It’s easy to forgive things like the bad physics because it feels like it’s part of the game and adds to the fun – all of other flaws that are present here though just make for a bad gameplay experience, and certainly not in the ‘so bad it’s good’ way. I will give the developer credit though because they’ve announced on their blog that a lot of these issues weren’t present pre-release and they’re working on a patch to fix it ASAP.

Unfortunately, Guts and Glory on the Switch also just so happens to have a big omission in the form of the level editor. PC gamers were able to create and share their own levels, some of which were both charming and challenging in design, but Switch owners are limited to just the levels that are included in the main game. It’s a huge shame and not only does it take away one of Guts and Glory’s most enjoyable elements but it also takes away a lot from the game’s replayability.

Summary

Guts and Glory is an utterly absurd game, but one that’s all the more entertaining because of it. Some of the tracks are completely insane and the hazards are over the top and brutal, yet I didn’t stop having fun playing through them.

Unfortunately, the Switch version of the game is a bit broken. Long load times, stuttering frame rates and random crashes frustrated the hell out of me when playing the game, whilst the lack of a level editor sees one of Guts and Glory’s best features completely omitted on the platform. It’s a massive shame and it made my time with the game a little sour.

There’s fun to be had with Guts and Glory’s silly gory action, but if you want to get the best experience with the game you’ll simply want to avoid the Switch version.